Conventionally, multiple prepreg sheets (FRP sheet) having a fiber sheet impregnated with resin are laminated to manufacture a prepreg laminated body (form a composite material), and this prepreg laminated body is used to manufacture (form) the main wings, a fuselage, a main plane, or the like of an aircraft. Additionally, carbon fibers are frequently used as fibers because the carbon fibers have excellent features, such as light weight, high strength, and high elasticity.
The prepreg sheet is formed by aligning the fiber directions of multiple fibers. It is formed in a state where the fiber sheet is impregnated in an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosetting resin as the impregnation resin and in a state where the resin is half-cured (imperfectly cured or uncured). For this reason, a paper liner is stuck to a surface (or both surfaces) of the prepreg sheet.
The prepreg laminated body is manufactured (formed) by removing the paper liner from the prepreg sheet and integrally laminating the multiple prepreg sheets while making the fiber directions to intersect each other. The prepreg laminated body is manufactured by laminating a prepreg sheet (angle layer) in which fiber directions are turned, for example, in the 45 degree direction or in the 90 degree direction on a prepreg sheet whose fiber direction is in 0-degree direction (0-degree layer). Then, on top of the angled layer, a prepreg sheet in the 0 degree direction (0-degree layer) is further laminated. As explained above. The prepreg laminated body is manufactured by laminating a pre-determined number of prepreg sheets on a work (a work to be laminated) integrally formed by prepreg sheets having fiber directions in the prepreg sheets intersecting to the fiber direction of the previous layer sequentially.
On the other hand, in order to efficiently manufacture a flat-plate-shaped prepreg laminated body quickly, a prepreg automatic lamination apparatus is proposed and put into practical use (for example, refer to PTL 1, PTL 2, and PTL 3).
For example as shown in FIG. 2, the prepreg automatic lamination apparatus A includes: a lamination table 2 that is provided on a stand 1 and placed so as to freely advance and retreat in the direction T1; a pair of gate-type supports 3 and 4 enclosing the lamination table 2 therebetween with an interval in the direction T1; a 0-degree layer lamination head 5 (prepreg lamination head) that is supported by the gate-type support 3 and disposed above the lamination table 2; and an angled layer lamination head 6 on the lamination table 2. The angled layer lamination head 6 is rotatably supported by the second gate-type support 4 allowing rotation around an axis that extends in a vertical direction.
The 0-degree layer lamination head 5 includes: a feed roller 9, around which a prepreg sheet 8 with a paper liner 7 attached on one of its surface is reeled; a support roller 10 that supports the prepreg sheet 8 fed from the feed roller 9 by being wrapped around by the prepreg sheet 8; a die cutter 11, which is provided between the feed roller 9 and the support roller 10 and cuts the prepreg sheet 8 alone in a pre-determined length (to fit to the size of a piece of the work to be laminated) without cutting the paper liner 7; a front pressing roller (first roller) 12, which guides in the direction T1 for the prepreg sheet 8 to be laminated on the work placed on the lamination table 2 and applies the prepreg sheet 8 on the work by pressing the prepreg sheet 8 from the surface which had the paper line 7; a rear pressing roller (second roller) 13, which presses again the prepreg sheet 8 that has passed the front pressing roller 12 and peels the paper liner 7 from the prepreg sheet 8; and a paper liner recovery roller 14 that recovers the paper liner 7 that was peeled off from the prepreg sheet 8.
The angled layer lamination head 6 includes: a feed roller 15, around which a prepreg sheet 8 with a paper liner 7 attached on one of its surface is reeled; a support roller 16 that supports the prepreg sheet 8 fed from the feed roller 15 by being wrapped around by the prepreg sheet 8; a die cutter 17, which is provided between the feed roller 15 and the support roller 16 and cuts the prepreg sheet 8 alone in a pre-determined length (to fit to the size of a piece of the work to be laminated) without cutting the paper liner 7; a guide roller 18a, which guides the prepreg sheet 8 fed from the support roller 16 to be laminated on the work; a scraper roller (guide roller) 18b, which guides the prepreg sheet 8 to be laminated on the work working together with the guide roller 18a and peels off the paper liner 7 from the prepreg sheet 8; a lamination shoe 19, which is provided between the guide roller 18a and scraper roller 18b, is able to shift its position back and forth, and presses the prepreg sheet 8 for the prepreg sheet 8 to be laminated on the work placed on the lamination table 2; a paper liner recovery roller 20 that recovers the paper liner 7.
When the prepreg sheet 8 is laminated on the work by the 0-degree layer lamination head 5, the paper liner recovery roller 14 is rotated, the paper liner 7 is pulled, and the prepreg sheet 8 is fed from the feed roller 9. Also, during the feeding of the prepreg sheet 8 from the feed roller 9, the prepreg sheet 8 alone is kept being cut by the die cutter 11 in a pre-determined length. The prepreg sheet 8 that is cut up in this way is sent so as to run along the top face of the work through the support roller 10, and is pressed against the work from the paper liner 7 side by the front pressing roller 12 (primary transfer pressing). Thereby, the cut piece of the prepreg sheets 8, which are obtained by cutting and dividing the prepreg sheet 8, are applied on the work to be laminated repeatedly and integrally laminated on the work. By passing through the rear pressing roller 13, the prepreg sheet 8 applied on the work is pressed again (Secondary transfer pressing), while the paper line 7 is peeled off from the prepreg sheet 8 and rolled up by the paper liner recovery roller 14. In this way, the prepreg sheet 8 of 0-degree layer, the fiber direction of which is along with the length direction of the work (length direction of the prepreg laminated body, the conveying direction of the lamination table 2, the first direction T1), is laminated on the work with the 0-degree layer lamination head 5.
On the other hand, the work on which the prepreg sheet 8 is laminated by the 0-degree layer lamination head 5 is conveyed toward the angled layer lamination head 6 by the lamination table 2. When the prepreg sheet 8 is laminated on the work by the angled layer lamination head 6, the angled layer lamination head 6 is rotated and, disposed so as to have a predetermined intersection angle of, for example, 45 degrees or 90 degrees with respect to the length direction (the conveying direction of the lamination table 2 or the first direction T1) of the work, and the paper liner recovery roller 20 is rolled in this state.
Consequently, the paper liner 7 is pulled, the prepreg sheet 8 is fed from the feed roller 15, and only the prepreg sheet 8 is cut up at every predetermined length by the die cutter 17. At this time, the prepreg sheet 8 is cut up so as to be divided into a shape (for example, a rhomboidal shape when a 45-degree layer is laminated and formed on the work) according to the piece to be laminated of the work.
In the stage where the prepreg sheet 8 is set so as to be run along the top face of a work W with a guide roller 18a and the scraper roller 18b from the support roller 16 in this way, the lamination shoe 19 moves in the fiber direction (intersection direction T2) of the prepreg sheet 8 while pressing the prepreg sheet 8. Thereby, a cut piece S1 of the prepreg sheet 8 cut up and divided by the die cutter 17 is applied as a stack on the piece to be laminated of the work W, and is integrally laminated. Additionally, while passing through the scraper roller 18b, only the paper liner 7 is peeled off from the prepreg sheet 8 applied to the work W and reeled around the paper liner recovery roller 20. In this way, the angle layer prepreg sheet 8, the fiber direction T2 of which intersects the length direction of the work W (which is the fiber direction of T1 of the prepreg sheet 8 in the 0-degree layer), is laminated on the work W with the angled layer lamination head 6.
As described above, the prepreg laminated body is manufactured by sequentially laminating the prepreg sheets 8 by the 0-degree layer lamination head 5 and the angled layer lamination head 6 while making the fiber directions T1 and T2 to intersect each other.